Okay, so maybe you subscribe to The Monthly Illustration Club, or maybe you’ve seen what it is and you’re thinking of joining, in this post I’ll write what’s included when you subscribe to my stationery club and how to make the very best of it.

A couple of months ago I asked the opinions of my followers on Instagram what products in the pack they would use and which ones aren’t as important to them. Now it would have been lovely if everyone said certain items proved more useful than others, but the feedback came back completely 50/50 so it looks like the bundles are staying as they are for now. So, to ensure everyone that does subscribe gets the most out of all the items I’ve created a little list of uses for everything you get.

Greetings Cards

The obvious use would be to use as cards for friends or loved ones but because of the luxury uncoated finish they also work great as small prints. Some of my cards in the bundle are printed without any message which means you can send them as a card and the recipient can use them as a print if they wish! Don’t worry, if your favourite illustration does come with a message, you can always trim it off or get the paints out and use a little artistic licence. If you do have a card and you have no use for it and think you won’t find a use in the future you can always put it to one side for a scrap book project or maybe give it to a friend and ask if they would like to send it on.

Notecard

A notecard is a simple A6 piece of card with a small illustration that leaves plenty of room for you to write a note on. These are less formal than a card but much fancier than a piece of scrap paper, great if you’re dropping off a fresh basket of baking for a neighbor when there’s no occasion requiring it and want to leave a note, or maybe you’re sending a gift and want to pop a little note inside to explain why they deserve it. The card is much thicker than paper making them more robust so if you don’t need to write a note, why not use it for the following…

• Write somebody a letter

• Write a To Do List and stick to the fridge or a wall

• Write recipes on

Little Print

The idea behind the little print is that it can hang on your fridge with the little magnet you receive in your first bundle. (Magnet is for UK subscribers only.) you can swap it every month, and maybe you could write some intentions on the back or on the corresponding notecard for the month ahead. I was hoping it would be something that might inspire you to get out and look for wildflowers and notice the environment changing around you as the months pass. Every month you can change it, or you can frame it or collect them. They’re all printed in the same format so over time you’ll have a collection of wild prints that can all be framed together. You can also use them as notecards, just write on the back of them and send a note!

Bookmark

Some people have told me they can’t find a use for that many bookmarks but I feel sad in removing it from the bundle because there is absolutely nothing, I can replace it with. Any other product would increase the weight of the pack and also the price of the subscription. If you really don’t want the bookmark do message me and I can pack your bundle without it. A few subscribers have told me they love the bookmarks for the following reasons.

• Sending on with a greeting card to a bookworm. When I think about this, I’d be pretty happy if I got a free little matching bookmark in a greeting card.

• Putting them aside for when you gift a few books to friends.

• If you’re studying and have a few of them to hand they make great revision markers for text books.

• Kids crafts…If you know any children, they absolutely love cutting out and sticking pictures in books. I keep aside a little paper craft box to use whenever there are little hands around. Any spare bookmarks, used cards envelopes etc can all be collected in a fancy box and given to a child for a Crafty Christmas or Birthday!

gift Tag

I love to keep any spare tags I print handy. My favourite thing to do is to use them to label homemade foods and preserves but of course they are intended for attaching to gifts. I’ve also seen some people hang them on desk accessories and pin boards just because they’re pretty.

Envelopes

Every card and notecard sent will come with an Envelope but as your collection grows you’re bound to make a few mistakes. If you’re ever short on envelopes please just email me and I will include a few free extra ones in your next bundle.

Glassine Bags

As of December 2021, The Monthly Illustration Club will be sent in a glassine paper bag. This both reduces the amount of wasted material as tissue paper is hard to re-use and gives you a handy few bags to put to one side for food and snacks. I like to keep mine and use them to collect cinnamon sticks, chocolate chips and other small quantities from our local re-fill shop. Just make sure there are no holes in the bag first! I can be quite clumsy. Glassine paper is curbside recyclable and naturally biodegradable.